Delivering respect in North Tyneside. How North Tyneside Homes tackles anti-social behaviour and works in partnership with other organisations to increase the use of effective information exchange.
1. Delivering Respect in North Tyneside
Colin Boxshall (Safer Estates Manager)
And
Steve Senior (Safer Estates Officer)
2. What we will cover in today’s session
• How North Tyneside Homes tackles ASB
• Particular reference to private rented sector
• Partnership working – information exchange
• Joint operation with police (Respect)
• Council legal remedies (Injunctions)
• Outcomes
3. How North Tyneside Homes tackles ASB
tackles ASB
• Seven local housing patch teams investigate initial
reports of ASB relating to council tenancies
• Cases are referred to the safer estates team where
further action is necessary to resolve the matter
• The safer estates team investigates reports of ASB
relating to owner occupies and private rented properties.
4. Safer Estates Team
• Safer Estates Manager
• Five Safer Estates Officers
• One Victim Support Officer
• ASB Prevention Officer
5. Safer estates meetings with police
• Safer estate meetings – monthly
(police/housing/social landlords/legal)
• Local staff identify problem areas and
households
• A strategy to tackle them is jointly agreed (e.g.
targeting areas, individuals or households)
• Proactive exchange of information
• Making full use of legal powers
7. Aims of Operation Respect
• Targets nuisance
households and those who
engage in ASB on estates
• In past year operations
carried out in Forest Hall,
North Shields, Wallsend
and Whitley Bay
• Provides confidence and
reassurance to
communities
• Deterrent to other
perpetrators of ASB
9. • The high visibility 7am visits involve marked Police
vehicles and are well received within the community
10. Impact of Operation Respect
One operation in North Shields illustrates the impact of
Operation Respect.
11. • 31 residents received an early morning visit by the Safer
Estates Team and Police.
12. • Police Community Support Officers and Housing Officers
delivered over 1000 joint letters to homes in streets in
which a resident had received a warning about their
behaviour
13. • 29 young people promised to change their ways after
signing up to ABA’s.
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19. Supporting Private Landlords
The Safer Estates Team support Private Landlords by:-
• Giving initial advice to Private Landlords who want to take
action in respect of their tenant who is acting in an anti-
social manner.
• Giving advice about the Legal Process to follow.
• Keeping Landlords informed of complaints received about
their tenants.
• Serving warning letters and legal action notices
• Attending court as a witness for possession (eviction)
proceedings.
20. Case study – private tenant, Howdon
• ASB:- tenant, household members and visitors
• Police and council contacted landlord
• Joint letter (council/police) – to private tenant
• Joint letter (council/police) to neighbouring residents
• Joint letter to landlord
• Landlord informed of subsequent complaints
• Council/police served section 21 notice
• Private tenant moved away.
• Council carried out vetting check of new prospective
tenant.
21. Case Study – private tenant Hazelrigg
• Neighbours complained
• Landlord not interested
• Phoned landlord (at his place of work),
after receiving a complaint.
• Served section 21 notice on behalf of
landlord
• Landlord moved tenant to another
property out of area.
22. Case study – private tenant, Burradon
• ASB at property
• Joint letters – tenant/neighbouring
residents
• Section 21 notice served
• Council witness statement prepared
(incidents reported to police and council)
• All landlords in area contacted
• Tenant moved away
23. Joint approach – positive outcomes
• Seven private tenants changed their
behaviour after:
• Being served with joint warning
• Signing ABA
• Served with section 21 Notice.
24. Vetting of prospective tenants
Northumbria Police will provide data/information for the purposes of
the vetting of prospective tenants, when certain circumstances
indicate that it may be prudent to do so. These circumstances are:
• The applicant admits to criminal convictions
• There are significant gaps in the housing history
• The applicant is known to the organisation in that there is a previous
history of ASB/criminality
(1 April 2011 to 31 January 2012, 516 vetting checks were carried
out resulting in 131 applicants being excluded from Homefinder
scheme . A further 34 applicants had their priority for rehousing
reduced)
25. Housing Act Injunctions
Conduct which is;
• Capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to any person
living/engaged in a lawful activity in the neighbourhood; and
• Directly or indirectly relates to or affects the housing management
functions of the landlord
• Where there is a threat of violence of a significant risk of harm the
court may attach a power of arrest to prohibitions or exclude the
defendant from any premises or area
• Can be obtained ex-parte
• Where a power of arrest is attached must be brought before a
County Court Judge within 24 hours
26. Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions (ASBI’s)
In the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, 35 ASBI’s
were obtained by the Council in the County Court.
All ASBI’s were obtained by using Council and Police
evidence. No residents were required to attend Court as a
witness.
27. • All persons were subject to Behavioural Zones
• 21 were excluded from entering areas in which they
committed ASB
• 25 Injunctions had the “Power of Arrest” attached
• 14 were initially obtained on a “Without Notice” (ex-parte)
basis with a review hearing, usually within 21 days
• 6 were breached and 5 were committed to prison.
28. Examples of crime/asb
• Convictions for drug dealing
• Convictions for violent disorder
• Neighbour complaints, noisy parties,
nuisance/disorder by visitors
• ASB at property/on estate
30. Process
• File of evidence prepared by safer estates
• This includes a witness statement of a
safer estates officer – evidence attached
as exhibits.
• Council lawyer prepares court paperwork
• If on-notice hearing police serve summons
• Injunction served by police.
37. Where we are doing well
Crime and anti-social behaviour
• Perceptions of the fear of crime are heading in the right
direction, with significantly more people feeling safe both
during the day and after dark.
• Significantly more people believe the council and the
police seek peoples views about crime and ASB.
• The same is also true in terms of people believing the
council and the police are successfully dealing with crime
and ASB.
